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SMC California Athletics

Saint Mary's College Athletics Gaels
Braxton Brown AB vs Weber
Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
Braxton Brown drove in four runs today for the Gaels
5
Weber St WSU 8-19
13
Winner Saint Mary's SMC 12-14
Weber St WSU
8-19
5
Final
13
Saint Mary's SMC
12-14
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Weber St WSU 0 0 0 1 4 0 5 7 1
Saint Mary's SMC 1 3 0 3 2 4 13 15 1

W: Bennett, Chelsea (1-3) L: FINCH, Jayci (1-6) S: Nishikawa, Mia (1)

1
Weber St WSU 8-20
4
Winner Saint Mary's SMC 13-14
Weber St WSU
8-20
1
Final
4
Saint Mary's SMC
13-14
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Weber St WSU 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 7 1
Saint Mary's SMC 1 1 0 1 0 1 X 4 8 1

W: Wolverton, Avrey (2-5) L: MERRILL, Brooke (0-2)

Game Recap: Softball |

SB | Gaels Complete Three Game Sweep of Weber State, Move to 3-1 for the Weekend

MORAGA, Calif. — Saint Mary's Softball (13-14) exploded for 17 runs on 23 hits (their most over a two game stretch this season) to finish off the annual Saint Mary's Softball Tournament with a doubleheader sweep of Weber State (8-20). The Gaels finish off the weekend at 3-1, outscoring their opponents 25-14 in a much needed strong showing for the Saint Mary's offense. 

GAME ONE: SMC 13 - Weber State 5 (6 Inn.)
After yesterday's come-from-behind W against the Wilcats of Weber State, the Gaels tried their best to make things less dramatic in game one, jumping out to an early 7-1 lead against the Wildcats through four innings. 

Braxton Brown picked up her first collegiate home run against Weber State yesterday, which would prove to be the game winning hit. She picked up where she left off in game two of this three game set, stepping up with Camille Lara at second and one away in the bottom of the first, and rifled a ball into left to put the Gaels ahead early. 



The Gaels quadrupled that lead in the bottom of the second frame, as things got started with a triple to deep center by Victoria Castillo, her second in as many days, followed by a first pitch RBI single through the left side by Jenavee Amador. The RBI was Amador's 15th of the campaign, which then tied her with Sam Buckley for the team lead. Following a successful Mia Zabat sacrifice bunt to move Amador to second, Tori Cervantes singled to center. With runners at the corners, Coach Garnett dialed up her signature first and third double steal; Cervantes slid in safely at second, while Amador scored in plenty of time at the plate, making it 3-0. Sam Buckley would reach on an infield single, and stole second to put runners at second and third, and Camille Lara lifted a sacrifice fly into left, accounting for the Gaels third run of the second inning. 



A solo shot in the top of the fourth by Weber State would be the first run surrendered by starter Chelsea Bennett, but the Gaels would respond with three in the bottom half. Tori Cervantes opened the frame with a single, Camille Lara slapped one through the left side with one out, and Braxton Brown continued to drive in runs for the Gaels with a two RBI single up the middle. Keeping things, Alex Cutonilli would single and advance to second on a throw to third that was not in time to catch Brown, and Taylor Lane would log an RBI on a ground out, plating Brown and making it 7-1. 



Bennett ran into trouble in the fifth, allowing the first two batters to reach on a walk and a single, and after inducing a fly out for out number one, saw Weber State load the bases with another single. The second Wildcat run of the day came on a fielder's choice with the bases loaded that got the Gaels their second out in the field, a force at third. A walk, however, would load the bases again for WSU before Abby Grundy cleared the bases with a three RBI double, bringing the tying run to the plate. Mia Nishikawa entered in what became a save situation in the fifth, and walked the first batter she faced, and gave up a walk and a single, but a costly baserunning error by the Wildcats got the Gaels back into the dugout ahead by two. 

While Weber State scored four in the top of the fifth, the Gaels were able to get half of those runs back in the bottom half off one swing of the bat from Sam Buckley. Jenavee Amador led off the inning with a walk and was run for by Julia Medina. Two outs later and Medina stood on second with Buckley at the plate. Sam then rocketed a ball to the deepest part of the ballpark in dead center for her fifth home run of the year, surpassing her total from all of last season. 



Nishikawa worked a 1-2-3 top of the sixth, needing just 13 pitches to do so, and the Gaels road that momentum to a four run bottom of the sixth to end game one of the day early. Braxton Brown, Alex Cutonilli and Taylor Lane opened the frame with three straight single, with Aryanna Gonzales (running for Brown) scoring the Gaels tenth run of the game. Then, Jenavee Amador blasted a no-doubter to left, ending the game in run rule fashion, 13-5. 





Chelsea Bennett picked up her first win in the circle this season, with Mia Nishikawa going 1.1 scoreless innings for her first collegiate save. Braxton Brown and Alex Cutonilli each had three hit ballgames, with Brown driving in three runs. That RBI number was second to Jenavee Amador, who smashed in four, including three on the game-ending home run, her first in front of the home fans at Cottrell Field.

GAME TWO: SMC 4 - Weber State 1
The less offensive of today's two contests saw the Gaels Mia Nishikawa and Avrey Wolverton pair up for an absolute gem in a three run lead over the Wildcats. 

Again, the Gaels jumped out to an early lead in this one, and again, it was Braxton Brown driving in the first run of the game. After Mia Nishikawa got out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the first, the Gaels had two on and nobody out for Brown, following a leadoff double from Sam Buckley and a single from Camille Lara. Brown did what she needed to do, putting a ball in play to score Buckley from third.

Nishikawa again worked out of danger in the top of the second, putting runners on the corners with two away before getting some help from Jenavee Amador behind the dish, busting up a first and third steal play before the run came across. Back-to-back singles from Victoria Castillo and Jenavee Amador to lead off the second and a one out walk drawn by Tori Cervantes loaded the bases for Sam Buckley, who lifted a sac fly to center field, scoring Castillo and doubling the Gaels lead at 2-0 through two. 



A one out walk and a two out double netted the Wildcats their only run of the day, and the Gaels were held scoreless in the bottom of the third, prompting Coach Garnett to bring Avrey Wolverton out of the pen in the fourth. Wolverton was spectacular, allowing no runs and just three hits over the final four to earn the win, but her offense continued to provide insurance runs, just in case. In the bottom of the fourth, Jenavee Amador led off the inning with a walk, and was run for by Aryanna Gonzales before Sam Buckley doubled her home with two outs to make it 3-1. Then in the sixth, the Gaels loaded the bases with a Lindsay Cabral walk, a Tori Cervantes single and a Sam Buckley hit by pitch, before Camille Lara grounded Mia Zabat (running for Cabral) in for her 13th RBI, matching her total from all of last year. A terrific sliding catch in right field by Victoria Castillo would end things in favor of the Gaels 4-1 in this one, helping them finish out the weekend with a 3-1 record. 



Sam Buckley went a perfect 2-2 in game two with a double, a run scored and two RBI. Camille Lara also logged a pair of hits, driving in one. Avrey Wolverton delivered her best outing of the Spring in the circle, going four full scoreless innings out of the pen, while striking out three and walking none en route to her second victory of the year. 

UP NEXT
The Gaels will welcome ACC opponent Georgia Tech to Cottrell Field on Tuesday, March 18. First pitch is set for 3 PM. 

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